1/22/09

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Silica is present in rice husk. This can be transformed to usefull form at atmospheric temperature into uniform-sized nanoparticles of silica through bioleaching. Researchers in Pune, India have reported that using the fungus Fusarium oxysporum, commonly found in garden soil, almost the entire silica present in rice husk (up to 97 per cent) can be converted to high value nanocrystals.The fungi Fusarium oxysporum takes about 24 hours to convert amorphous silica into nanocrystalline silica.Fusarium oxysporum rapidly biotransforms the naturally occurring amorphous plant biosilica into crystalline silica and leach out silica extracellularly at room temperature in the form of 2-6 nm quasi-spherical, highly crystalline silica nanoparticles capped by stabilizing proteins; that the nanoparticles are released into solution. This process has significant applications and commercial potential.